Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud was identified as the mystery buyer in a New York Times report published Wednesday, but is now reported to be a proxy for the crown prince. US intelligence reports have been closely tracking Prince Mohammed's activities, according to The Journal, and identified him as the painting's buyer.

The nature of the painting — a rendition of Christ — and the timing of the purchase — less than two weeks after the corruption purge — calls into question whether the crown prince has been selectively targeting people in the crackdown, The Times reported.

Here is the painting, which will be featured at the Louvre Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates: